As I was tooling around Barrie this morning taking care of some last minute details before the move, I was reminded of a great article I once read. It used the analogy of a GPS system for how to get through the inevitable twists and turns of life.
What do you do when life throws you these curves? Just “recalculate,” like the voice of the GPS machine says (mine sounds like a very friendly lady, although I haven’t given her a name yet).
It’s the same with your editorial calendar. It’s a plan, after all, not a court order. As a tool to assist you in publishing consistently (especially during busy times), I’ve also found it helps me balance my blog. I plot out when I will post in different categories, as well as which of the three types of online content I will use.
And then life happens, and sometimes I don’t follow through with a planned post. The topic lost its appeal, I was busy with an urgent client project, or another reason.
Jump right back in and keep posting
I see too many people suffer from blog fade, abandoning their blogs after a few of these missed posts or false starts. Like any other setback in life, it’s important in these moments to just get back on track.
You may want to replace the planned post with another spontaneous topic, or just skip to the next item on your calendar. You may even tear up your whole plan and start from scratch – and sometimes that’s not a bad thing. You definitely want your blog to remain relevant to what’s going on – in your industry, for your readers and in your own life.
P.S. If YOU are the one who wrote that article about the GPS, please comment below and include a link! I hope you’ve continued to write and publish, and haven’t faded away…